Professional Duck Sauce (Duck Jus)

Ingredients

• 5 kg duck carcasses (toasted at 200°C for 50 minutes)
• water (enough to cover carcasses completely)
• 0.33 celeriac (one third of a big celeriac, chopped)
• 1 leek (chopped)
• 1 carrot (chopped)
• 3 celery sticks (chopped)
• 2 onions (chopped)
• 1 bulb garlic (cut in half)
• 6 sprigs thyme
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 g coriander seeds
• 3 g black peppercorns
• 75 g unsalted butter (cold cubes; range of 50-100g mentioned)
• salt (to taste for seasoning)

Steps

1. 1

   Preheat your oven to 200°C (390°F). Place 5 kilograms of duck carcasses on a baking tray and toast them for 50 minutes until deeply browned.

2. 2

   Transfer the toasted carcasses into a large stock pot and cover them completely with cold water.

3. 3

   Bring the pot to a boil. As it heats up, a white foam (impurities) will start to form on the surface; remove this carefully with a small ladle.

4. 4

   While the pot is coming to a boil, chop one third of a large celeriac, one leek, one carrot, three celery sticks, and two onions into uniform pieces.

5. 5

   Once the water is boiling and skimmed, add the chopped vegetables to the pot.

6. 6

   Add one bulb of garlic (cut in half), six sprigs of thyme, four bay leaves, two grams of coriander seeds, and three grams of black peppercorns to the pot.

7. 7

   Reduce the heat and let the stock simmer gently for at least eight hours to extract maximum flavor.

8. 8

   Drain the liquid through a sieve to remove the solids, discarding the carcasses and vegetables.

9. 9

   Return the broth to a clean pot and reduce it by 80%, or until the desired concentrated flavor is reached. Use a ladle to skim off any fat that floats to the top during this process.

10. 10

    Once reduced, begin whisking or stirring the sauce while adding 50 to 100 grams of cold, cubed butter. This technique (monter au beurre) will bind the sauce and give it a glossy finish.

11. 11

    Pass the finished sauce through a fine-mesh sieve (chinois) for a perfectly smooth texture.

12. 12

    Taste the sauce and add salt as needed for final seasoning.

Notes

The technique of adding cold butter to the reduced sauce is called 'monter au beurre'. It creates an emulsion that thickens the sauce and adds a rich mouthfeel. This sauce is excellent for duck but works well with other poultry as well.

Nutrition per serving

• sauce
• duck
• French cuisine
• poultry
• gourmet
• slow-cooked
• base